Water heater



` I. RICHARDSON. WATER HEATER. APPLICATION FILED IvIAR..Ie. 1921.

Patented Jan. 10, A922,

IARRIIRRR Lewes t c r Jenn iarcnnnnsoiv, or was@ Bannister, oamnonitra, .esstenon on omaggi-v TC. MARY B. nrcnaensoiv, on BERKELEY, cnnrronnrn.

WATER LLIETER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented da-no it), i922..

Application led March 16, 1921. Serial No. 52,724.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, Joi-m RICHARDSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of -l/V est Berkeley, county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented a new and useful Water Heater, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in water heaters and is designed pan ticularly for use in connection with the laundry industry. Its particular object is to utilize the heat contained in waste smoke for the heating of water and to provide a tank for that purpose which in combination with a particularly constructed furnace is especially adapted to present a large heat absorbing surface to said smoke and thus to absorb most of the heat contained in the same. A further object is to provide the means of supplying additional heat to the water in the tank in case the heat furnished by the waste smoke is not suicient to bring the water up to the desired temperature.

l attain these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section through my device, Figure 2 an end view of the same, Figure 3 a transverse vertical section through the same and Figure 4 plan view..

Referring to the drawing more particularly it will be seen that the water tank l, which is here shown as being of rectangular shape rests on the furnace 2. rlhe latter may be of any form and is indicated in the drawing as consisting of a substantially rectangular housing 5, made preferably of brick and covered by a metal plate (3), .from which the smoke-stack (a) extends and which is provided with an opening (10), somewhat smaller than, but in its shape conforming to the bottom of the tank, so that the latter may rest on the edges defining said opening. The furnace is equipped with any kind of heating means, as for instance the oil burner (6) shown in the drawing enten ing the furnace through the opening (7).

The tank is provided with a number of downwardly extending tubes (8) which are closed at the lower ends (9) and open at the tops (11). rlhey are rigidly fastened to the bottom of the tank and extend a small distance above the top surface of the bottom to facilitate the cleaning kof the tubes and of the bottom of the tank. ln order to clean said tubes, a person would preferably insert a pipe or a hose connected with a water supply into the same, turn on the water and flush out any rust or dirt that may have accumulated in said tubes. lf the tops of the tubes were flush with the top surface of the bottom of the tank, the rust or dirt flushed out by the water might flow right back into the saine, whereas in the arrange ment proposed in the present case the slight elevation of the tops of the tubes above the surface of the bottom will prevent such flowing back.

At one end of the furnace provide an opening (l2) connecting with the flue (14e). rlihe opening is so situated with reference to the smoke-stack (4), that smoke entering the furnace through the flue (141-) will pass rbetween and around the tubes 8 into the smoke-stack.

As l mentioned before, my device is designed in connection with laundries mainly in which one or more furnaces are needed to furnish live steam for various purposes and in which, under the present system, the smoke from the said furnaces after having performed its work, still has a temperature of some 500 Fahrenheit, which normally goes to waste, and it is the object of my invention to lead said smoke through the flue (la) into my furnace, so that it may be further utilized to heat the water to be used for washing, which does not require a temperature equal to the boiling point of the water. It will be easily understood that the tubes present an excellent means for absorbing heat from the smoke passing them. lllhe water contained in said tubes will heat almost instantaneously and cause a violent circula tion in the water, the hot water rising and the colder water gravitating into the tubes to be there heated and rise again.

TWhile thus designed for special purposes, I do not wish, however, to confine my invention in any way, but desire to be protected on any heating tank embodying my specific features.

l claim:

ln a water heater and in combination with a furnace having an open horizontal top, a water tank adapted to normally close said horizontal opening in the top of the furnace and having in its bottom a plurality of staggeredly arranged tubes extending from the bottom of the tank through said horizontal llO opening in the top of the furnace and presented Avertically Within the fire box of the furnace, said tubes being closed at their lower ends and open at their upper ends,

and with the open. upper ends extending tubes7 Said smokefrstnck sind said flue eon- 10 nection establishing an exhaust end'gintzilze respectively for the furnace; wherehji,v smoke may be introduced into the furnace from an exteriorsource of supply and passed around the staggeredly arrangedtubes before being 15 exhausted through the smoke stack substantially as and for the purpose'described.

JOHN RICHARDSON. 

